After discovering voles (small rodents that eat a lot of roots) had gotten into my carrot and parsnips bed, we decided to dig up those veggies before those nasty critters could do any more damage.

To my surprise, both the carrots and the parsnips were huge. Probably the best we've ever gotten. I'm attributing it to using a product called Root Crops Alive, which I got from the online mail-order business, Gardens Alive.

Roots Crops Alive is a fertilizer that has plenty of phosphorus and potassium for growing crops like carrots, parsnips, potatoes, beets, onions and so on. I'm really pleased with the results so will be using it again next year.

If you're wondering, carrots and parsnips can be left in the ground until it's ready to freeze solid. Then I'd recommend storing them in a cool, dark place. Last year, we layered them in a bin and put sand between the layers to keep them moist but not touching each other. It worked really well so we'll do that again to enjoy them throughout the colder months.